While DC’s most important hero may be returning to the big screen in Superman (2025), most fans are looking for the Batman’s most popular movies. It’s been three years as of this writing since Batman last appeared on the big screen, and it’s likely to be as many before he’s seen again. Fans are eagerly waiting for casting choices, script developments, and most importantly, costume updates for whichever Batman film hits the big screen next.
The costume is, arguably, the most important part. Batman cuts an iconic silhouette, and the discussion about the costume and how it changes from film to film is a major topic among fans. We don’t know what Batman will be wearing when we see him next, but maybe we can infer something by ranking the five best Batman movie suits.
5. The Dark Knight (2008)
By the time of 2008’s The Dark Knight, everyone was tired of the same exhausting jokes about Batman being unable to move his neck in the movies. Christopher Nolan didn’t just address it head on (no pun intended), he made it a plot point. Concerned about being unable to move in combat, Batman gets an upgraded suit with a cowl more akin to a biker helmet, giving him a tremendous range of motion. The suit looks great, but at the same time, it also ditches a lot of the traditional trappings for a more militaristic take, robbing it of a lot of its charm.
4. Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
Look, let’s just get it out of the way: There are a lot of problems with and divisive opinions about Zack Snyder’s DCEU, but the one thing you can’t deny is the man knows how to make things look good on screen. The Batsuit first donned by Ben Affleck in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a peak example of this. It brilliantly adapts the classic suit from The Dark Knight Returns, but it’s just so bulky that it looks impossible to move around in. The suit was slimmed down for 2017’s disastrous Justice League, but reshoots in broad daylight really tarnish the reputation. Check out Zack Snyder’s Justice League for the definitive version of this suit; streamlined, fierce, and shot in the moody lighting it deserves. It’s genuinely beautiful.
3. Batman Returns (1992)
The Batsuit featured in 1989’s Batman is perhaps the most important one ever made, not only lending an air of credibility to Tim Burton’s dark take on Batman but shifting the public perception across all media that The Dark Knight wore black. But that 1989 suit has aged weird; the texture looks very soft, the fake muscles stick out like a sore thumb, and the fit is so awkward that you could probably fit a full hand inside the cowl. Batman Returns took what work and improved it. The fit is tighter, the muscles are replaced with a more mechanical-inspired art deco look, and the material looks much more solid. It’s hard to improve a classic, but this era of Batman arguably never looked better than he did in Returns.
2. Batman Begins (2005)
It took a long time to get a new Batman after Batman & Robin salted the Earth, but 2005’s Batman Begins brought Gotham City back with a bold new vision. Christopher Nolan took Batman back to basics, and that included an in-depth examination of the Batsuit and how it was made. The suit here still has a lot of superhero trappings while leaning into Nolan’s more realistic world than what came before, but honestly it works so perfectly in this film. As great as the suit from The Dark Knight looks, the Batman Begins suit is a beautiful update to Tim Burton’s work while still taking Batman into the 2000s.
1. The Batman (2022)
The Batsuit featured in 2022’s The Batman is a stark departure from what we’ve seen before. Depicting a Batman in his second year of crimefighting, the suit looks like it was cobbled together as he went, with pieces added to counter his weaknesses as he fought. And it honestly works. This is a Batman who thrives on instilling fear, who embraces the idea of living in the shadows. Previous Batmen could survive a gunshot, but Robert Pattinson’s Batman is a walking tank. It’s not as sleek or refined, but it’s the most visually interesting Batsuit we’ve ever seen, and it narratively tells us more about Batman than any movie suit before it.
Where To Watch The Best Batman Movie Suits Online
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